Brawn confident Mercedes will catch up

The team was off the pace of the leading outfits at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, where Nico Rosberg finished in fifth position ahead of team-mate Michael Schumacher.

Brawn conceded Mercedes was still lacking pace compared to its main rivals, but is confident the team can make progress and catch up in the upcoming races.

"The team did a good job in Bahrain but we accept that we were not competitive enough and that we have work to do to close the gap to the leaders," said Brawn in a team preview ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.

"I was very pleased with the performance of Nico and Michael and the way that they worked together to provide clear and consistent feedback to develop the car over the weekend.

"Whilst our car is fundamentally strong, we have a development plan in place for the next few races which should bring the required performance improvements to compete at the front."

Schumacher, meanwhile, said he is looking forward to the Melbourne race to continue with his acclimatisation following his comeback after three years.

"I am very happy with the outcome of the season opener in Bahrain. Sixth position was good for me, especially considering how few times I have driven an F1 car since my retirement.

"I am sure that Melbourne will help me to get into the rhythm even more and I am looking forward to it.""